Improvement in head-blocks for saw-mills



N. F..BECKWITH, decd.

FLORENCE A. BECKWVITH &. 1I. K WEBSTER, Admrs. A'

Head-Blocks for Saw-Mills.

'NO 155408, Patented Sept.29,187'4,

Zer .dttorneys WITNESSES THE GRAPHIC C0. FHOTD'LITH.J9& 44 PARK PLADEJLY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FLORENCE A. BEOKWITH AND HIRAM W. WEBSTER, OF BERLIN, WISCONSIN, ADMINISTRATORS OF NELSON F. BEOKWITH, DEOEASED.

IMPROVEMENT IN HEAD-BLOCKS FOR SAW-MILLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 155,408, dated September 29, 1874; application filed February 10, 1874.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that NELsoN F. BECKWITH, late of Omro, in the county of Vinnebago and State of Wisconsin, deceased, did, during his life-time, invent certain new and useful Improvements in Head-Blocks for Saw-Mill Oarriages; and the following is declared to be a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in Which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved head-block with the hooks projecting through the vertical slot in the standard, and also shows a vertical section of the upright portion. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the headblock, showing the hooks retracted within the vertical slot in the standard; and Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the same.

Similar letters of reference in the accompanying drawings denote the same parts.

This invention relates to improvements in head-blocks for saw-mill carriages, for which Letters Patent were granted to Nelson F. Beckwith, December 26, 1871, and numbered 122,215, in which a series of down wardly-curved hooks pivoted in the upper part of a stationary frame and a hook or dog curved upwardly and pivoted in the lower part of the frame of the head-block are simultaneously projected in opposite directions through a central vertical slot in the face of the head-block by means of a lever, thereby firmly grasping and securely holding the log during the operation of sawing the same into boards; and this improvement consists in attachin g the upper series of downwardly-curved hooks to a reciprocating movable frame, in contradistinction to a stationary one, by means of which the throw of the upper series of hooks into the log to be sawed into boards may be varied at pleasure.

In the accompanying drawings, A is the horizontal face of the head-block, attached to the saw-mill carriage in theordinary manner, and B is the broad vertical face of the same, provided with a central vertical slot, G,through which the downwardly-curved hooks L L are projected or retracted by the movements of the lever H. M is an upwardly-curved hook or dog projecting through the slot S. (See Figs. 1 and 2.) D is a vertical bar, to which the lower ends of the curved hooks L L are attached by pivotal pins a a a, which have their bearings in said bar D, and also in the movable frame E, to which a reciprocating movement in its ways a3 and al is imparted by the lever I, having its fulcrum in the standard P ofthe frame, and connected by the link J with the reciprocating frame E. F is a bar, pivoted to the hooks L L at o o o. G is alink, pivoted to the bar F at its upper extremity, at n, and similarly connected at its lower end with one of the arms of the bifurcated lever H at n', the said bifurcated lever being fulcrum ed in the frame of the standard at d, and having its lower arm attached by a pivotal connection, e, with the link R, the opposite end of the latter being pivoted at a6 to the upwardly-projecting dog M, which is pivoted at a5 to the frame of the head-block.

It is obvious by this construction, and by causing the frame E, which carries the downwardly-proj ectin g curved hooks L L, to be movable or to reciprocate in ways in the frame of the head-block, that the throw of the upper series of hooks into the end of the log to be sawed into boards may be varied, so as to increase or decrease the bite of the hooks upon the log. i

In Fig. 1 the lever I is shown as thrown forward to its fullest extent, the reciprocating' frame E, carrying the upper series of hooks, being likewise moved forward or toward the log to be sawed, and the lever H depressed, so as to throw the hooks L L and the dog M into the saw-log. When the parts are situated as represented in Fig. l, the greatest throw or bite of the hooks upon the log is obtained.

Fig. 2 is a similar view to that shown in Fig. 1, with the lever I moved in the opposite direction, and the movabler frame to which it is attached slid backward in its ways, the lever H depressed, and the throw of the hooks and the consequent bite upon the log to be sawed the least.

We claim the following as the invention of NELsoN F. BEGKWITH, deceased:

l. A head-block for saw-mill carriages, having hooks adapted to be simultaneously projected in opposite directions through a central vertical slot in the face of the adjustable knee of said head-block, in combination with a reciprocating frame carrying said hooks, for the purpose of varying the throw of the latter, substantially as described.

2. The head-block A B, provided With a vertical central slot, in combination with the reciprocating frame E, downwardlycurved hooks L L, pivoted to said reciprocating frame E, and to the bars D and F, and lever I., substantially as described.

3. The head-block A B, provided with a 

